Today was a big health day.

Following my consultation with Dr. Zhang in November 2023 regarding breast reconstruction options, I met with her this morning to finalize my decision and to sign the paperwork for surgery.

As a reminder, Dr. Zhang is the plastic surgeon who installed my breast implants on July 7, following my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, and who removed my right implant on July 27, following an infection. In November, we discussed three options:

We both leaned towards option 1. We agreed that I would reflect some more, and I committed to talking to women who had undergone this procedure. I did just that in the intervening months, speaking to four women who had pursued option 1. Their time and experience was a tremendous gift.

Three of the four women had Dr. Zhang as their primary or assisting surgeon, which only increased my confidence in the decision I have now made. All four had had breast cancer. One of the four learned that, like me, she carries a mutation in her BRCA2 gene. After having been diagnosed with breast cancer and undergone a lumpectomy, she learned that she was BRCA positive. She then opted for the removal of her fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus and cervix to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer and for a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using her own tissue to reduce her risk of breast cancer recurrence. Some were able to share not only their own experience but that of other women with whom they had connected before their own surgery. The satisfaction with option 1 was high.

All were able to describe what the surgery and recovery had been like. For example, I will be under a heated blanket, known as a Bear Hugger, for several days after the surgery, as heat helps to ensure blood flow to the breast and abdominal tissue. Nurses will use a doppler device to check for a whooshing sound in my breasts, indicative of good blood flow. They will do the check every 15 minutes in recovery, every hour in the hospital room on the first day (including through the night), every two hours on the second day, stretching to every four hours. I will spend at least three nights in hospital, but as many as five. Until I am able to get up and move around in the hospital, I will have compression cuffs on my legs to guard against blood clots, something I'm familiar with from my ovarian cancer surgery. I will wear a binder on my abdomen and a bra 24-7 for 6-8 weeks. Recovery will take at least two months.

Dr. Zhang answered all my questions, including some that I had identified as a result of my conversations with the four generous women. I will share more details about my own experience when I have the surgery.

The next step is a CT scan of my abdomen to identify where my blood vessels are. A date for the surgery will be set in the future, and is dependent on availability of operating room time.

I took advantage of my being at the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital to get this month's blood work related to ovarian cancer. I was more nervous about this CA125 test than I've been in a long time. I think my subconscious worry about my breast reconstruction mingled with my low-level concern about cancer recurrence made this a more challenging period.

To my great relief, my CA125 for this month is 7. Not 8. Not 9. But 7. The most reassuring number I could hope for, even though I know that there's no real difference between 7, 8 and 9. Today's result was like the Universe saying, "Don't worry. You're fine!"